They've grown up too fast
by BlackOpal
Summary: Rachel's mother looks on at the Animorphs in the Hork Bajir valley. Through random events, she realizes that they've formed a bond no mother can penetrate and that she's no longer needed in her child, or any of the Animorph's, life.


Disclaimer: Mrs. Applegate owns everything. Lucky her eh? A/N: First Animorph fic that I've written in a LONG while. Tell me what you think.  
  
It's hard to say, as a parent, that you're job is over. It's something no parent ever wants to say. Yet, to the parents in this little valley, their job is over. The group that calls themselves the Animorphs, have no need for parents.  
  
They are everything to each other. They love each other enough to replace the need for parents in their life. Cassie and Jake.... They have a relationship that no one else could possibly duplicate and whether this came from their experiences or simply because they were fated. And when they were fighting...  
  
Everyone in the camp saw a different side of the teenagers we had grown to know. The others surrounded themselves with each other, looking for ways to repair the doomed love. It was as if they couldn't bear watching Cassie and Jake fall apart, as if the two of them were the glue of the Animorphs. And I missed this.  
  
Somehow I missed watching my nephew fall in love. And, as I was briefly told by Marco, I missed my daughter fall in love too. Tears had rolled down my face as he told me of Rachel's undying commitment to Tobias, the boy trapped in the body of that horrible hawk.  
  
Four children had matured overnight without us, their parents, noticing a single thing. They'd seen more blood, gore and horror than we had all seen put together. And this made them strong. From the outside, they were strong, capturing a relationship that no other one could comprehend. They were able to love together, suffer pain together and heal each other.  
  
I'm jealous. I can't imagine the hell they've been through, but I can't help but feeling hate towards them. Why didn't they run away from the thing that was calling them towards it. Why did they reach out and touch the box or however they had contracted this curse. Why did they lose their childhood so freely?  
  
Often, I wonder what will happen after all of this. Will they end up being heroes and showered in money given to them by the world in hopes of restoring the years they lost trying to save it? Or will they be shoved to the side, ignored and only given a paragraph in the history works. The mere thought of my child and her friends in a history book years from now made me smile.  
  
"Stop!" It was Cassie. Her scream ringed out throughout the camp, sending chills down my spine and causing all of us to come running. And the site that welcomed me froze my heart.  
  
Cassie was crouched on the floor of the forest, her eyes threatening to spill tears, a red welt sprouting on her cheek. Jake was standing over her, in disbelief. His face told it all. He had given her that welt and he regretted it. We stared at him, horror struck and not wanting to invade the fight. But the other Animorphs had already surrounded them.  
  
Rachel swept up Cassie, who's face held a silent scream. She smothered her friend with shushes and rocked her back and forth. Marco pushed back his best friend with a look that was impossible to tell what he was thinking. He whispered words of assurance.  
  
Something happened there. What should have been a moment for the parents to break it up and shake their children, talking sense into them, became a moment for the Animorphs to come together and heal a fight that never should've happened. And once again, I felt left out.  
  
There was tension in the air later. One can only imagine what the Animorphs were thinking. They were the center of attention here, everything relied on them, if they were in a bad mood then we were too.  
  
Hours later, Cassie and Jake came forward. Cassie was at a run and Jake was more then happy to sweep her into his arms and lean in for a passionate kiss. On the corner of the woods I saw Marco, Rachel, Tobias and even Ax produce identical smiles of relief and happiness. I had to look away. It didn't seem right, I felt like I was invading a moment that was meant for only the Animorph's eyes.  
  
I went to the river, staying there for hours. I washed Rachel's clothes, something she refused to do. I convinced myself that it was one of the many jobs I had to do for my child, even though she didn't need me too. I was trying to convince myself that she was simply a child.  
  
Walking back, I saw something that disproved this. Rachel and Tobias were locked in a private embrace. The kiss spoke of pain and angst. They were healing themselves through that kiss. Tears rolled down my eyes as I saw it grow deeper and deeper. This was what I missed. I missed my baby girl's first kiss, her first love, her first everything.  
  
I walked away sobbing and admitting to myself that I don't know how to be her mother anymore.  
  
And the truth is I don't think she needs me.  
  
They had all grown up. Too fast.  
  
We can't keep up. 


End file.
